rsocal,
Thanks for the post. I wish you could have that conversation with insurance companies, too. Please start with Liberty Mutual. Bandits!
LM was not the insurer on this claim. State Farm did right by me. The signature shop was odd.
Car was damaged left front, bumper dented, fender scratched, door out of alignment, headlight out of alignment, hood misaligned.
Signature shop wrote estimate for bumper only stating that the other damage was not collision related.
I asked mechanic for a referral. He sent me to the shop that did the work. They did their own estimate. SF sent an adjuster. SF adjuster disallowed the hood. Body shop aligned the hood as a courtesy. Body shop charged their original amount which was less than SF estimate.
I'm in Ohio. Insurance companies are terrible here. I'm almost afraid to stop for a light anymore. Moving target
I agree about payment methods. Take anything negotiable. The CVS Rite Aid decision is sort of strange. Payment is payment. Maybe there are contractual obligations.
Thanks again for your post. Much appreciated!